


Spitballing

by Jumpp



Series: Flashfire [2]
Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: 70's homophobia, BLU, Flashfire - Freeform, M/M, demo shows up for a minute, engie is just a dad, hes a dad ok, pyro isn't even in it he's just mentioned alot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 03:34:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11546643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jumpp/pseuds/Jumpp
Summary: In which Scout and Engie have have a swift conversation before the day even starts about a marriage Engie won’t let start. For the first time ever, Scout’s agreeable and Engineer can but probably won’t go back to minding his own business.





	Spitballing

**Author's Note:**

> This fandom is dead but I wrote this over a year ago, so here it is.
> 
> Might make more sense if you check out Stars before this but you don't need to.

 

It was way too early to be drinking but the moment was just right and Scout never said no to a beer. Luckily, Engie never said no either. While everyone else lumbered off, either to the showers or off to bed, Scout tracked Engie down and found him dragging a lawn chair out of his workshop and out towards the nothingness of the desert. He dragged it farther than he needed to, pointed it away from the base, and sat.  

Scout picked one up and followed behind him because what else was there to do? The showers at Fastlane didn’t hold that many people and after what just happened he didn’t think he could sleep again. He laid the lawn chain out and sat, wordlessly taking a beer Engie handed him though he didn’t see the other man come out with them. 

“Could’a been worse,” Engineer said as he pushed his goggles up. They were clouded with smoke. 

“Yeah, well, could’a been later in the day too. I need my beauty sleep, ya know?”

Engie grunted in confirmation. “A’least the fight will be cancelled today, God knows we can always use’a day off.”

This time Scout grunted in confirmation. That very morning (and early morning at that,  might as well say night) there had been an earthquake, one bad enough that it did some damage to the RED base (hah, that has to be some sort of karma) but not the BLU. It didn’t even wake Scout up. What really woke him up was the chaos that came after words with the damn REDs trying to use their fucking phone to call Miss Pauling. So what if your base was on fire? So-fucking-what if your phones ain’t working? What was Miss Pauling doing for them anyway?

God. Long story short no REDs were allowed into the base but the BLU team did end up assisting them extinguish the fire because all the buildings were or were damn near touching and it was spreading fast. 

Pyro sure liked participating in that, though no one else did. Scout sure didn’t. He’d let the  whole place burn just to spite them REDs. But now, just Engineer and Scout sat with their backs turned to the base where smoke could be seen behind it. They watched the sun rise in the distance, where the barren landscape looked a little less barren with purples and pinks hanging above it. 

Looking out to the sun, there was no smoke, no explosions, no bullets, and none of those huge-ass spiders that lived in the base. In fact, looking at it like this, Scout could say it was pretty fucking beautiful. Serene. Dreamlike. 

Maybe it was that feeling that made him break the silence. He took a swig of beer, set it down and said “I think I’m gonna propose to Pyro.” He didn’t know why he said it. He hadn’t ever thought hard on it and he hadn’t been thinking of it a second ago but he said it and he couldn’t take it back.

“Really?” The other man inquired.

“Yeah.”

“Lookin’ for advice?” 

Scout nodded. 

“Don’t.”

For some reason that wasn’t the response Scout expected and he nearly spit out his beer. 

“How do you think that’d work, anyway, Squirt? _ Marriage?  _ Maybe you don’t know but-”

“I’d get him a fucking ring an’, an’ I’d buy a house with him. I know it don’t work, like, legally, and we wouldn’t do no church ceremony, but... That enough, right?” 

The moment was gone, his words felt flat, and Engineer suddenly seemed very interested in the horizon and his beer. “Sure, that might be enough. You still ain’t gonna do it though.”

Scout bristled. “Why’s that?”

“Cus’ I said so.” And something about  the moment suggested that it could just be left at that but Scout wasn’t one to just leave something be. 

“You ain’t got shit to say in this matter, old man.”

With a raised eyebrow and a cautionary, dismissive glance, Engineer held up a hand to stop Scout and said “look, son. Just a few months ago ago you two were at ends and nearly made the whole team fall ‘part. You two only known each other for how long?”

It took Scout a second to realize that wasn’t rhetorical and he was expected to answer.  He took his time. “Six months... since he joined the team I think.”

“Six months, String Bean, ain’t enough time for something like this. Besides, he was just a call-boy for half that weren’t he? God, told me all about it when you started treatin’ him like the real deal. Damn kid tells me near everything because that’s what he does, and from what he’s told me I don’t think you’re ‘marriage’ type.”

The drink in Scout’s hand suddenly didn’t taste very good. 

“Besides. You’re both still kids, you know.”

Oh.  _ That’s  _ why. “I ain’t a kid, man-”

“Maybe not in your eyes but in mine. Big difference between twenty two-or somethin an’ thirty-eight. My ex-wife Irene, knew her for seven years before we got hitched and that still wasn’t enough time to figure out it wouldn’t work. Yer Both kids. I don’t know who the bigger kid even is, you or him. Ya both have a lot of growing up to do.”

“Oh.” 

The silence replaced itself, as did Scout’s beer. He briefly wondered when that happened, and how common earth quakes were in New mexico, and how early he’ll get away with going to bed that night. But. His thoughts eventually ran full circle and just as just sitting there was getting a little boring he brought back Pyro.

“I care for him ya know, I do. I’m serious now. I’m committin’”

“Oh son, I don’t give a rat’s ass. Remember when I said I’d have your hide should you ever hurt Smokey? Offer still stands, whether you care for him, whether you’re committed or not.”

Scout paused. Here he was, sharing a beer with Tex and he was just getting another shovel talk. “Listen-”

“Nah. You listen to me a second longer. I like you right enough Scout, really do, remin’ me of a cousin, but I have no special ties to you when you’re with Pyro. ‘Cos yall are kids and kids hurt each other, and _ you _ are liable to do more damage cus you’re meaner.”

Scout wet his lips, and opened his mouth only to say nothing. He was meaner. 

“Take a break from the drama, and don’t do no ‘proposing’ no time soon.”

“Yeah. Yeah, alright. Sure. Wasn’t lookin’ for a blessin’ or nothin’ anyway. Just... spitballing.”

The sun was creeping upwards now, most of the fun colors that decorated the horizon already checked out. Scout was considering doing the same, one of the showers was probably clear now-

“You’ll be a good man someday Scout, just don’t rush it. Don’t make him rush it either.”

The young man blinked. “I won’t, hardhat.”

A few minutes later Demo dragged out another lawn chair and joined them to stare out at the desert and have a 5 am beer. For which, both men were glad because Demo was only ever lighthearted, full of gross jokes and he could easily form a bridge between any two people.

And that’s what he did. 

And they spent another hour staring at sand and dirt doing nothing and Scout never brought up any proposing nonsense again, and Pyro would never hear of any of this. 


End file.
